The Devil's hoof marks

This is the 5000 year old Cothiemuir recumbent stone circle also known as the Devil's Hoofmarks. The 20m diameter circle now stands in a clearing in a plantation of mixed woodland. Although some of the circle stones are missing and others fallen, it is still a most imposing site. The 20 tonne recumbent is 4.2m in length and is flanked by two smoothly dressed pillars of red granite, each standing almost three metres tall. The recumbent is, as usual, located on the SW arc of the circle and has been chocked at its eastern end by a granite wedge so that the upper surface is almost perfectly horizontal for use in lunar observations.

In the centre of the circle is a stone lined pit which is covered by a thick 1m square block of granite. It may be the remains of a ring cairn or a cremation pit built a 1000 years after the erection of the circle. Cremations within stone circles are indicative of the continued veneration and use of these ancient monuments over thousands of years. This tradition continues to the present day at this site as the woodland around the circle is now managed as a natural burial ground. I could think of much worse places in which to spend eternity!

If you would like to hear more about the stone circles of NE Scotland, and to see the landscape in which they lie then you should take a look at this video.

And, should you be a keen Scottish Country dancer there is even a Recumbent Stone Circle dance. You can enjoy it in another video!